Combined wet screening and shredding apparatus



2,446,772 coMINED WET SCREENING AND SHREDDING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 3, 1945 ug. l0, 1948. w. c. LAUGHLIN 's sheets-sheet" 1 Aug. 10, 1948. w Q LAUGHUN 2,446,772

COMBINED WET S-CREENING AND SHREDDING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 3, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. #VILL/.4M C. LAUGHL/N Augi 10,1948. 2, 6,772

couBmEn wm SCREENING Ann smmnnms APPARATUS Filed Aug. s. 1945 w. c. LAUGHLIN 5 Sheets-Sheet INVENTDR. WILL/AM C. LAUGHL/N QUEI-giri! Patented Ang. l0, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE` COMBINED WET SCREENING AND SHREDDING APPARATUS William C. Laughlin, New York, N. Y., assignor to Ralph B. Carter Company, Hackensack, N. J., a corporation o! New York Application August 3, 1945, Serial No. 608,647l 2 Claims. (Cl. 21o-15M 'I'his invention relates to screening out the oversized material from a flow or sewage or industrial waste with subsequent shredding or tne screened out material.

The object of the invention is to reduce the oversize solids entrained in flow to avoid entangling of'rags and strings in the raking mechanism of sedimentation tanks, and clogging of pumps rand pipe lines, and permit of more rapid digestion of the organic solids in the subsequent sewage treatment,

The apparatus consists primarily of a travelling belt made up of standard roller chain, such as is used for power purposes, of any desired length or width, wherein there are openings between the links which allow liquid to pass while retaining the oversize solids, but having links with cutting edges forming a part of the travel# ling belt and extending above the surface of the other links. Then, with this belt travelling, and sewage passed to its surface, the liquid with small solids passes through the openings of the belt and the oversized solids move with the belt, and away from the screening locality, and there moet a comb of a series of teeth (or series of combs), spaced so that the teeth of the belt pass through the teeth of the comb with scissor clearance, and the cooperating cutting edges cause a shredding of the oversize solids when shreddable; the comb yielding when so cutting. The comb is displaceable to permit oversize unshreddable solids to pass without injuring the cutting edges.

The invention consists of a moans of screening out the oversized material from a ilow of sewage or industrial waste, meanwhile conveying the oversize and screened out material to a point above the liquid ow of the sewage, and there subjecting it to a shredding action to reduce it to small size by means of cutting teeth, and then allowing the shredded material to pass again to the sewage flow for subsequent sedimentation of the solids in tlle subsequent sewage treatment.

The invention will be further described, an embodiment thereof shown in the drawings, and the invention will be nally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side view of a screener and shredder;

Fig. 2 is a sectional pian view with a section taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the essential parts of the screener and shredder shown in the path of the sewage flow;

Fig. 4 is a detail section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detail section taken on line -l of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the links;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view o! the screener and shredder;

Fig. 8 is a detail plan view, taken on line 8 8 of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 9 is a detail view of an alternate form of cutting links showing square cutting edge.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the various views.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 1, the sewage iiow channel I0 has a descending portion II, terminating in a lower flow channel I2.

A frame I5 consists of vertical bars I6, horizontal bars I1 and diagonal bars I8. A motor 20 with a sprocket wheel 2I is supported upon the horizontal bars I1, rand has a roller chain 22 for a larger sprocket wheel 23 on a shaft'24 supported in bearings 25, in turn supported on two parallel diagonal bars I8, one on each side of the frame I5. The bearings 25 are clamped to the diagonal bars I8 by bolts 26, and are adjustable in position by adjusting bolts 21.

On the shaft 24 are a plurality of sprockets 28. Above the diagonal bars I8, and at the lower ends of the same, a similar shaft 29, with a plurality of sprockets 30, is supported in bearings 3|, which are clamped in position by bolts 32. 'I'his shaft 29 with sprocket 30is below vthe descending channel I I.

Over the sprockets 28 and 30-passes the improved screener and shredder 35.

This screener and shredder consists of a plurality of spaced and parallel rods 36, having spaced collars 31 separated by connecting links 38 and shredder links 40 forming a belt conveyor. The links 38 are thus spaced from each other and permit the flow of fluid between the same. The shredder links 40 are also spaced from each other and permit the now of fluid between the same. The combined links act as a screen to permit the flow of liquid, but prevent the passage o1' rags, etc., or other oversize materials from passing with the liquid through the spaces between the links. These oversized materials are drawn along and transported by the moving screen, out of and away from the sewage now path.

The shredder links 40 consist each of a body portion 6|, and of an upwardly extending cutting portion 42. This portion 42 has its front part 43 inclined to provide a cutting edge M, or a straight edge 43 as in Figure 9.

In the path of theshredder links 40, a comb 45 is disposed, which consists of a transversely arranged bar having spaced teeth 45. One of i these combs is shown, but aplurality of such combs spaced from each other in p'arallel portions may be used. The comb 45 is supported on a yoke 4'1 fulcrumed on a shaft 48, to permit the raising of the yoke 41 should any nail or other metallic solid which cannot be cut or shredded, -impinge against the comb when carried along by the shredder links 40, the nail then passing through the space formed by the raising of the comb. The comb 45 may be adjusted by screws 4l resting on the supporting projection 59, supported by a frame vertical bracket I5. Each of the teeth 45 is provided with a cutting edge 52. The comb 45 is fastened by screws 5| and set screws 51a to a crosspiece 53 of the yoke 41. The shaf-t 48 is supported by bearings 54` supported in turn by vertical bars |5a.

The foregoing frame with combined screener and shredder'35 is placed in a widened part 55 of the channel I2 as shown in Fig. 2, so that the combined screener and shredder 35 is placed at an inclined position transverse to the sewage flow. indica-ted by the arrows 55, the screener and shredder 35 moving in the direction of the arrows 51 as shown in Fig. 3. The lower portion acts as a screener and the upper portion acts as a shredder. The laterally arranged links 40 bridge the sewage iiow so that all the ne solids and liquor of the sewage pass through the lower screening portion and the oversized material is conveyed tothe upper shredder portion.

As the sewage which invariably contains rags, or the like, which interfere with the sedimentation process passes on to thescreener and shredder 35, the fluid passes through, but the rags and other oversize material are moved up and out of the sewage flow, until decimated by the cutting action, when the threads, etc. are returned to the sewage flow, -the decimated threads or trash not interferingwith the sedimentation methods.

I wish to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Iclaim: f

1. In a combined wet screening and shredding apparatus, the combination with a continuous belt conveyor having laterally spaced and end plvoted links, pusher abutments on said links, cutting edges on the forward parts of said pusher abutments, means supporting one end of the conveyor above the other end to present an inclined surface to the horizontal, and a comb transversely disposed to the conveyor having cutting edges complementary to the cutting edges of the conveyor. links, and above the upper end of the conveyor, of a yoke for supporting the comb, a pivotal support for one end of the yoke at one side of the comb, and a support for the other end of the yoke at the other side of the comb.

2. In a combined wet screening and shredding apparatus, the combination with a continuous belt conveyor having laterally spaced and end pivoted links, pusher abutments on said links. cutting edges on the forward parts of said pusher abutments, means supporting one end of the conveyor above the other end to present an inclined surface to the horizontal, and a comb transverse ly disposed to the conveyor having cutting edges complementary to the cutting edges of` the conveyor links, and above the upper end of the conveyor, of a yoke for supporting the comb, a. pvotal support for one end of the yoke at one side of the comb, and a support for the other end of the yoke at the other side of the comb, of means supporting said comb in a yielding manner to pressure exerted by any object being cut by the conveyor cutting edges and comb, and displaceable to permit oversize un'shreddable solids to pass without injuring the cutting edges.

WILLIAM C. LAUGHLIN.

AREFERENCES CITED `The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 466,453 Burns Jan. 5, 1892 677,567 Freeman July 2, 1901 819,720 Brunotte May 8, 1906 1,243,525 Howard Oct. 16, 1917 1,745,001 Bates Jan. 28, 1930 l2,106,851 Nordell Feb. 1, 1938 2,199,788 Durdin, Jr. May 7, 1940 2,317,416 Stanley Apr. 27, 1943 

